Palm Coast gave Mayor Jon Netts its farewell Thursday evening in an hour-long ceremony that included gifts, speeches, the naming of a fire truck after him and a lot of talk about going sockless.
Palm Coast City Council
Palm Coast Residents Will See 9% Garbage Rate Hike as City Approves New Waste Pro Contract
Palm Coast residents will see their garbage rates increase $1.74 a month, or 9 percent, starting June 1 and for the next five years. “Shoddy service” in the past year, the result of turn-over, is being addressed and the company may be fined if problems persist, the city manager said.
Palm Coast Mayor Netts To Be Recognized For “2,459 Years” Of Service Thursday at City Hall
Term-limited, Netts will end his 16 years of service for Palm Coast and cede his throne to Mayor-Elect and long-time protegee Milissa Holland on Nov. 15, when the new city council is sworn in.
In a Surprise Visit, Gov. Scott Tells Flagler Officials He’ll Expedite Regulatory Hold-Ups on Shore Repairs
Gov. Rick Scott held a 25-minute closed-door meeting with county and city officials in Bunnell today to assess the response to Hurricane Matthew and assure officials that he’ll help them through regulatory hurdles in continuing recovery efforts, especially on the barrier island.
Sod It: Palm Coast Manager Threatens to Fire Holland Park Contractor Over “Vacation” Delays
After Holland Park’s reopening was further delayed four weeks by the hurricane, the contractor, when asked about paying subcontractor, sent notice that it was on vacation.
Recovery Round-Up: FEMA Inspects Flagler, Crews Inspect the Pier, Assistance Center Opens, Debris Pick-Up Cautions
A comprehensive update on the latest in Hurricane Matthew recovery operations in Flagler County and its cities, including essential information from FEMA and debris removal requirements.
Flagler Damages to Homes and Businesses Estimated at $73 Million; 11 Homes Destroyed, 500 Damaged; Utilities Grinding to Normal
The price tag is very likely to exceed $100 million when damage to government infrastructure is eventually included. yet the sum total of the damage is far below what was feared from a direct hit of Hurricane Matthew.
Taxes Will Stay Flat For Most Property Owners in Flagler and Its Cities in 2017
Taxes have increased in Flagler County and in all five cities, but will be largely offset by a tax decrease in school taxes, while values have increased only marginally.
Back-Up City: Palm Coast Will Buy Its Third Fire Truck in 2 Years, for Total of $774,034
The Palm Coast City Council is expected to approve the third truck, for $259,678, next week, maintaining a fleet of front-line and back-up trucks throughout the city. The council approved two of the three pumper trucks last spring, for $513,356.
Local Authorities Converge on Areas of Concern as Travel-Related Zika Cases Are Declared in Palm Coast
Mosquito Control officials have been focusing on mosquito hot spots in Palm Coast’s P Section and visited other properties of concern as county officials prepare a county-wide meeting next week to address the local response.
Palm Coast and Flagler County Compete on Soccer Fields Over Frank Meeker’s Memory
The late County Commissioner Frank Meeker, who died in July, had also served on the Palm Coast City Council, so both governments will have separate memorials to his memory on soccer fields at opposite ends of town.
Heralding Brief Majority of Beards, Robert Cuff Is Sworn In as Palm Coast’s Newest Councilman
Robert Cuff–the cerebral, witty and long-time Palm Coast resident and ITT man–took his seat at the city council this evening after winning his election last week. He takes up where Bill McGuire resigned.
Federal Appeals Court Rules Against ATS, Palm Coast and Cities in Red-Light Camera Case
The decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is a reminder that Palm Coast is still not clear of the legal shambles that have surrounded the cameras. That class-action suit can now go forward, with drivers claiming they’d been wrongly fined.
Embittered Palm Coast Fires Holland Park Contractor and Takes Over Project Months Behind Schedule
City officials, sensitive to the criticism directed at them over the delays, recast the problem as entirely the fault of the contractor, and themselves as heroes looking out for the city’s budget and local contractors, thus effectively changing the subject: it’s no longer a project behind schedule as much as a city wronged and aggrieved.
Holland Is Palm Coast’s New Mayor, Lenhart Wins Supervisor, Conklin Wins School Board, Manfre Is Out, Staly Beats Lamb
Primary election results for Flagler County races including school board, sheriff, county commission, Palm Coast City Council, supervisor of elections, judges, and state congressional races.
Capping 2 Weeks of Record-Breaking Early Voting, Final Day of Primary Ends at 7pm
Some 18 percent of registered voters had already cast a ballot in early voting or by mail by the time polls opened at 7 this morning. But that means 82 percent of registered voters had not cast a ballot. Go vote.
Zika Virus In Flagler: Preparations In Place But Response Limited to Education and Prevention
The Flagler County Health Department says it’s prepared for an outbreak of Zika virus in the county, which has so far been spared, but the focus is on the only thing officials can do: education, elimination of standing water where possible, and limited travel for pregnant women.
Chamber Poll: Flagler’s Trump Country; Cuff, Lenhart, Holland, O’Brien and Conklin Win Big
The Flagler County Chamber’s first candidate hob nob Thursday drew some 300 people and 250 participants in its straw poll, with results pointing at least to a few trends ahead of the Aug. 30 primary. Actual early voting begins Monday.
Key Flagler Panel Votes 7-5 To Endorse Pot Citation Proposal, But Split Reflects Hazy Fate
The proposed ordinance to decriminalize some pot possession now goes to the county commission, Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach for approval, but it’s faced sustained opposition.
Taxpayers Hit for $215,000 to Repair Bunkers at City’s Money-Losing Palm Harbor Golf Club
The cost is in addition to the $155,000 the course has lost–and taxpayers have chipped in–so far this year. Bunker repair costs will be greater than that of several bridge repairs the city is planning over the next few years in the city proper.
Belle Terre Swim Club Advisory Group Violates School Policy as It Plods Into Political Forums
The Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club, created to help save the school board-owned facility, organized three political forums at the club without board permission, used a membership list to send out invitations in violation of board policy, and is not being charged the usual rate for use of facilities.
DuBose Pulls Out of Palm Coast Council Race, Opening Way to Quicker McGuire Replacement
Troy DuBose’s withdrawal essentially creates a two-way race between Bob Cuff and Sims Jones, and a stronger possibility of a winner by Aug. 30, who could then immediately fill the same seat Bill McGuire is resigning in mid-August, sparing the council the tortures of an appointment process.
For Commissioner Frank Meeker, a Tribute From the Hearts of a Decade’s Colleagues
For an hour Monday morning, Meeker’s closest colleagues remembered the man death surprised at 61 on July 22, themselves not yet over the shock of having lost him after seen him in that seat just 16 days before his death.
Palm Coast Council Candidate Troy DuBose May Abandon Run and Opt For County Post
Troy DuBose, a candidate for the District 1 seat on the Palm Coast City Council, said he’ll drop out of he is appointed to the Flagler County Planning Board on Monday, where he is the only candidate who applied.
Appeals Court Upholds Red-Light Cameras But Urges Florida Supreme Court to Rule Decisively
A court upheld Aventura’s program, which relies on police, not the private contractor, to make decisions about ticketing motorists. But the court wants the supreme court to decide the issue more finally.
Frank Meeker, County Commission Workhorse and Tenacious Optimist, Is Dead at 61
Meeker had been in and out of the hospital battling cancer the last few weeks, and was in the hospital this week as his condition worsened. He was moved to hospice overnight and died around 6 a.m.
Palm Coast Votes 3-2 Against $5,000 Hike For Jim Landon in Stinging Rebuke
Two council members said Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon had been overpaid, with his $169,000 salary now where it should be. The vote ends a long, in many ways improper and opaque process.
Bill McGuire, Palm Coast City Council’s Grandmaster, Resigns Effective Aug. 15
McGuire’s resignation was expected, and the council is hinting that it may be uninterested in filling his post for the remaining few weeks of his term before the election, even if the charter says the council “shall” fill it.
37th Palm Coast Citizens Academy Graduates 17 Participants
Seventeen Palm Coast residents graduated earlier this month from the Palm Coast Citizens Academy, a comprehensive program designed to educate interested residents about the operation and workings of their city government.
Trying to Stem Hemorrhage of Green, Palm Coast Studies Patchy Golf Club Take-Over
Losses at the city-owned Palm Harbor Golf Club are getting worse. The city is considering a “hybrid” take-over of golf and tennis that would still contract put most services but give the city more control.
No More Hairpin Curve as Old Kings Road Extension Around Matanzas High Opens, Last of Big Projects
The extension’s opening marks the last of a series of major road projects intended to improve traffic flow around Palm Coast, and in this case in particular around Matanzas High School.
McGuire Resignation a Dilemma for Palm Coast Council, But 2 Ex-Councilmen Offer Solution
Holsey Moorman and Alan Peterson, who both served on the Palm Coast City Council, are willing to fill out Bill McGuire’s last four months, thus enabling the council to avoid making a more politically fraught appointment or leaving the seat vacant.
Dennis McDonald, Who’s Twice Sued Palm Coast, Now Wants To Be Its Mayor
Dennis McDonald, Palm Coast’s and county government’s most relentless critic and a three-time candidate for local office previously, joined four other candidates for the seat Jon Netts is vacating: Milissa Holland, John Brady, Travis Kaufman and Ron Radford.
Yes, Palm Coast Wanted to Boot County EMS Crews Out of Station 22, But That Fire Is Out For Now
A closer look at the record shows that contrary to City Manager Jim Landon’s claim that the county was going on rumors, city officials, including Landon, very much wanted to see county EMS crews out of the fire station on Palm Coast Parkway.
Palm Coast Will Spend $500,000 to “Optimize” a Few Traffic Signals, But Expected Gains Are Vague
The $500,000 will install surveillance cameras and high-speed Internet to just 12 intersections, with more spending and intersections connected in future years, and will create a so-called Advanced Traffic Management System.
European Village Reborn: Palm Coast’s Poster-Child of Housing Bust Thrives Again
The Palm Coast City Council approved a rezoning that enables European Village to be more autonomous and more clearly advertise itself as the 14-year-old development seeks to solidify its new hold on business and residential activity.
Taxable Values Improve Less Than in 2015, But Still More Strongly Than in Pre-Recession Years
Palm Coast’s and Bunnell’s values improved least among local governments, at 3.9 and 2.2 percent, while county, school and Flagler Beach values all exceeded 5 percent.
Palm Coast Hints at Again Increasing Monthly Stormwater Fee As It Projects Fund Deficits
By some of its calculations, Palm Coast is projecting deficits of $1 million a year despite increasing the storwater fee 46 percent four years ago, though it has room to manage the deficit by reducing capital expenses.
Holland Park Renovation Advancing But Not Making Up Time
The city has started invoking the liquidated damages provision of the contract against Tumbleson White Construction Inc. of Gainesville. “We are trying to hit them in the pocketbook at this point,” the city manager said.
In Feud’s Latest Distortion, Palm Coast Blames County for “Killing” $600,000 City Road Grant
Palm Coast and the county are at it again, but in this case the city appears to have misrepresented the county’s intention not to violate the law in the latest flare-up of an ongoing feud between City Manager Jim Landon and County Administrator Craig Coffey.
Intersection at Old Kings Road and Town Center Blvd. Will Finally Get a Traffic Light
The $154,000 project will include some new landscaping and will also result in the closure of the makeshift parking area for people who use the Lehigh Trail. The zone must be closed to make the new arrangement safer.
County, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach Drum Up Trio of Memorial Day Commemorations
Each of the three government is putting on its own ceremony Monday, starting at 8 a.m. in Palm Coast, 10 a.m. at county government, and 1 p.m. in Flagler Beach.
6 Local Unions Show Electoral Power as 16 Candidates For School Board, Palm Coast and County Match Mettle
The United Public Employees of Flagler County, representing 6 local public unions, hosted the largest simultaneous political forum in the county’s recent history, yielding a few insights into three races.
Flagler’s Pot De-Criminalization Proposal Wilts, But Narrower Version Still Possible
A work group meeting Tuesday to craft an ordinance raised more questions and objections than showed agreement, though the proposal is still moving forward in a much narrower version, and has many hurdles yet to cross.
Separate But Equal: Palm Coast Sidesteps Transgender Bathroom Bind With Private Facilities
Palm Coast hopes to avoid the transgender-bathroom controversy by including private bathrooms in its $525,000 project for new facilities in Town Center and Indian Trails Sports Complex.
Palm Coast Government’s Blue-Collar Workers Barely Retain Union But Reject Contract
Palm Coast’s street, public works and utility workers voted 73-72 to retain the union they voted for in 2014, and on the same day voted unanimously to reject a proposed contract with the city.
Palm Coast Finally Adopts Trap, Neuter and Return Approach to Lower Feral Cat Population
Three years in the begging, the city has finally agreed to a program designed to lower the feral cat population by neutering rather than killing cats, an approach that worked with great success in Flagler Beach and elsewhere.
Flagler Takes 1st Step To Pot Decriminalization With Broad Agreement on Principle, Less So on Details
All of Flagler’s major law enforcement and government agencies agree that marijuana decriminalization for first-time offenders is a good idea. The county next will develop an ordinance all can agree on. That step may be more difficult.
City Will Spend $100,000 to Renovate Fire Station 22, Its Oldest, on Palm Coast Parkway
The city considered demolishing and rebuilding the station in the past, or closing and moving it, but for it says renovation is the best option, keeping open the possibility of a new station on Colbert Lane in the future.
Flagler County Quietly Scraps Plan for 3 New Emergency Communications Towers, For Now
After the Flagler County Commission voted down a planned 350-foot tower on John Anderson Highway, NexTower, which would have built three towers, pulled out of the deal entirely, returning the county’s planning for its emergency infrastructure’s backbone to close to near zero.